Payments Canada confirmed at its annual SUMMIT on May 6 that the Real-Time Rail will launch in Q4 2026. Industry testing begins in Q3, according to Chief Delivery Officer Jude Pinto. The summit attracted more than 2,300 attendees from 25 countries representing 320 organizations.
RTR completed system integration testing in Q4 2025. User acceptance testing concluded in Q1 2026. The system is now in its performance, security, and resilience testing phase.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne keynoted the event. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to accelerating national prosperity through payment modernization. RTR will deliver instant, irrevocable payments with 24/7 availability and ISO 20022 messaging, with participants prefunding settlement positions via the Lynx RTGS system.